Pendulum ball game



Jan. l0, 1961 D. F. KUMPMAN 2,967,713

PENDULUM BALL GAME Filed March 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l f7 g/z/ ATTORNE Y Jan. 10, 1961 D. F. KUMPMAN PENDULUM BALL GAME:

2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 25, 1960 INVENTOR. DANIEL F. KUMPMAN BY QATTORNEY United States Patent Oiice --\z,967,713 Patented Jan. 19,61

PENDULUM BALL GAME Daniel F. Kumpman, 151A Randolph Ave., Mine Hill,Dover, N .J.

Filed Mar. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 17,590

Claims. (Cl. 273-119) The invention herein disclosed is a game having astriker suspended as a pendulum which is swung to drive game pieces inthe nature of balls over a gameboard through or into different gatewaysor scoring pockets.

Objects of the invention have been to provide an interesting,entertaining game requiring a certain amount of skill and embodyingelements of chance as well and which would be attractive in appearanceto hold the interest of players and observers.

Special objects of the invention have been to eifect automatic return ofthe playing pieces to a pre-determined starting position thus to promoterapid and continuous action.

Other special objects of the invention have been to combine the parts sothat they may be quickly set up and so that they may be easily takendown and stored as parts of the playing board.

Other desirable objects accomplished by the invention and the novelfeatures of construction combination and relation of parts through whichthe purposes of the invention are attained are set forth and will appearin the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification areillustrative of a presently approved embodiment of the invention.Structure however may be modified and changed as regards the immediateillustration all within the true intent and scope of the invention ashereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. l in the drawings is a top plan View of one of the games with themarbles forming the game pieces lined up in a row across the center ofthe board and with broken lines at the left indicating how one of themarbles may be shot by the swinging striker between spaced hazardsthrough a gateway in a scoring panel and then" be returned automaticallyback to the starting line.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation and Fig. 3 an end elevation of the game.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view as taken on line 4 4,Fig. l, with broken lines indicating action of the swinging striker andmovements of the balls.

Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views on substantially the planes oflines 5 5 and 6 6 of Fig. 4.

The gameboard portion of the apparatus comprises a playing field made upof two inclined planes and 11, sloping from higher level at the ends ofthe board and meeting at a lower level at the center of the board on across line 12 providing a transverse trough to hold the balls 13 linedup in a starting position at the center of the board.

Over the starting line an arch 14 is mounted on which rides a ring 15,supporting by a wire or cord 16 a weight 17 at a level to strike theballs lined up in the cross groove 12.

Fig. 4 shows how the arc of the swinging weight may approximate thedihedral angle of the two inclined planes 10 and 11 so that this weightmay strike halls in the groove or on the slopes at opposite sides of thegroove. The cord or string supporting the swinging Weight may -be madeadjustable to tix the most favorable height for striking the balls.

At the upper outer ends of the playing slopes barrlers are provided,shown in the form of cross panels 18 detachably set in grooves 19, Fig.1, in the confining side walls 2t) of the board, these barrier panelsbeing shown in Figs. 5 and 6 as having gateways or openings 21 therein,diierently located and possibly dilerent in size and numbered accordingto diiculty that might be experienced in driving the balls through thesame.

lThese scoring panels are shown as equipped with slides 22 on top of thesame which can be shifted into register with numbers on scales 23 toenable opposing players to keep score.

The balls after passing through the score openings 21 drop into atransverse return pocket 24, Fig. 4, in the nature of a trough having aoor sloping from the high point at the center toward opposite sides ofthe board as indicated at 25 in Fig. 6.

Openings 26, Fig. 4, in the side walls 20 at the outer ends of the crosspockets 24 pass the balls from these pockets into inclined channels 27on the outer sides of the board, sloping from the opposite ends of theboard downward to the low point at the center of the board whereopenings 28 in the side walls 20, Fig. 5, admit the balls to theV-shaped starting line position at the center of the board.

Deflectors 29, Figs. 1 and 5, in the return troughs 27 direct ballscoming from opposite directions through the passages 28 into thestarting line position.

Barriers or hazards in the form of cylindrical or other shaped blocks 30are shown in Figs. l and 4, lined up or located in different positionson the playing field. These are shown as loose blocks and may be used ornot according to desire of players or rules which may have been set upfor play.

The scoring panels 18 are removably mounted on the board so that theymay be taken out and laid iiat on the playing surface when the game isput away.

Simllarly the supporting arch for the swinging ball, weight orprojectile 17, may be removably mounted so that it may be taken down andstored on the playing iield. For such a purpose it is shown as made upof spring wire or rod having bifurcated lower ends 31 to entercorrespondingly placed openings in the side walls 20 and which can besprung outward to detach the arch from such walls.

The game, as illustrated, is of novel, attractive appearance, designedto arouse interest and hold attention. The automatic return of the ballsto the starting line provides uninterrupted action and a great varietyof movement, for the swinging weight may strike any number of the ballsand on the back swing as well as on the forward swing and the balls maycarom off each other or off the sides of the playing field withsurprising and unexpected results. These possibilities introduce aconsiderable degree of chance adding interest to the skill necessarilyrequired to gain results in scoring.

What is claimed is:

1. A game of the character disclosed comprising a playing board havinginclined planes sloping from the ends of the board and meeting at anintermediate portion of the board to form a V-shaped trough forretaining a row of balls on a transverse starting line, a swingingweight suspended over said transverse starting line in position tostrike the balls on that line, scoring means for the balls at theopposite ends of the board and guide channels extending from saidscoring means for automatically returning the scoring balls back to saidstarting line.

2. A game of the character disclosed comprising a playing board havinginclined planes sloping from the ends of the board and meeting at anintermediate portion of the board to form a V-shaped trough forretaining a row of balls on a transverse starting line, a swingingweight suspended over said transverse starting line in position tostrike the balls on that line, scoring means for the balls at theopposite ends of the board and guide channels extending from saidscoring means for automatically returning the scoring balls back to saidstarting line, including downwardly sloping troughs at the opposite endsof the board and downwardly inclined channels extending along the sidesof the board to said starting line.

3. A game of the character disclosed comprising a playing board havinginclined planes sloping from the ends of the board and meeting at anintermediate portion of the b oard to form a V-shaped trough forretaining a row of balls on a transverse starting line, a swingingweight suspended over said transverse starting line in position tovstrike the balls on that line, scoring means for the balls at theopposite. ends of the board and guide channels extending from saidscoring means for automatically returning the scoring balls back to Saidstarting line, said scoring means including panels detachably mounted onthe board at opposite ends of the same and having ball gateways thereinopening to said return channels.

4. A game of the character disclosed comprising a playing board havinginclined planes sloping from the ends of the board and meeting at anintermediate portion of the board to form a V-shaped trough forretaining a row of balls on a transverse starting line, a

swinging weight suspended over said transverse starting line in positionto strike the balls on that line, scoring means for the balls at theopposite ends of the board and guide channels extending from saidscoring means for automatically returning the scoring balls back to saidstarting line, a spring arch detachably mounted on said board, a ringengaged on said arch and said swinging weight being suspended by atiexible connection from said ring.

5. A game of the character disclosed comprising a playing board havinginclined planes sloping from the ends of the board and meeting at anintermediate portion of the board to form a V-shaped trough forretaining a row of balls on a transverse starting line, a swingingweight suspended over said transverse starting line in position tostrike the balls on that line, scoring means for the balls at theopposite ends of the board and guide channels extending from saidscoring means for automatically returning the scoring balls back to saidstarting line, said scoring means including panels detachably mounted onthe board at opposite ends of the same and having ball gateways thereinopening to said return channels and scoring slides shiftable along saidpanels in relation to the gateways therein.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 735,132McCutchen Aug.'4, 1903 1,468,531 Kent Sept. 18, 1923 2,492,447 SchwartzDec. 27, 1949 2,884,251 Pieper Apr. 28, 1959

